Hakeem Touts Howard Beach Support

Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Councilman Charles Barron might be campaigning for a seat that is over 93% in Kings County and majority African-American, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to be ignoring that tiny little little slice of the district in Queens with a history of racial tension.

Mr. Jeffries in particular is making a strong play or the neighborhood as he battles in a competitive primary against the controversial Mr. Barron. And, at the Cross Bay Diner in Howard Beach this afternoon, multiple elected officials representing that neighborhood announced their firm support for Mr. Jeffries.

“Hakeem Jeffries is exactly the kind of person we need in Congress,” Joe Crowley, who heads the Queens County Democratic Party, declared in a statement. “Not only will he fight to create jobs for New Yorkers, but he will also work hard to protect middle-class families, seniors and children. I am proud to endorse Hakeem and I look forward to welcoming him to Congress in November.”

For his part, Mr. Barron claims he is no stranger to the neighborhood either.

“I’ve been into the areas that they think I’m not going to well in, that’s why some of them are upset and holding press conferences,” he declared at a town hall earlier this week, undoubtedly referring to a pro-Israel conference harshly denouncing his candidacy. “I went to Howard Beach, and we had a good meeting.”

“Of course I went in there cautious,” he joked, pretending to look over his back. “But when I did go in I was welcome, I was welcome.”